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Queensland jockey Damian Browne will be seeking a second Group I win in New Zealand at Ellerslie on Saturday, 16 years after his first.

Browne has mounts in two of the three G1 races at Ellerslie.

He will partner Wellington Cup winner Magic Chai in the $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) and the form runner Darscape Princess in the $200,000 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).

Browne, 45, began his career in New Zealand and was based in Canterbury when he won the G1 Auto Auctions WFA on No Mean City at Trentham in 2002.

He moved to Queensland the following season and has since becomean established big race rider with 74 black type wins, including a dozen at G1 level.

He won seven G1 races on star sprinter Buffering including the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai and the Manikato Stakes, VRC Sprint Classic and Winterbottom Stakes in Melbourne. They were all $1 million races.

Browne’s big race triumphs also include successive wins in the 2014 and 2015 Blue Diamond Stakes and a Queenland Oaks on the New Zealand-trained filly Quintessential.

He has returned to ride in New Zealand only occasionally since being based in Australia, riding four winners from 11 mounts including three stakes wins.

He won the 2015 Karaka Million at Ellerslie on Hardline, the 2012 Lowland Stakes on Planet Rock and the 2012 NZ St Leger on Guns At Five.

His Auckland Cup ride Magic Chai produced an encouraging trial when a close fourth behind Ladies First over 2200m at Ellerslie last weekend.

Magic Chai ran home strongly in a slowly run race and was the only horse at the meeting to break 33 seconds for his last 600m.

He is trained at Cambridge by Tony Pike who is attempting to win the Auckland Cup for the third time in four years.

Pike produced Rock Diva to win in 2015 and Chenille last year.

Darscape Princess is stepping up in class on Saturday but has won her last four starts and has been a stakes winner this campaign. She is trained by Fraser Auret.